It’s a new Dragon single? really? REALLY??

It is said that you do not amass a record collection, you actually accept recommendations for one. Whatever you listen to on the radio, whatever you hear in onccert, whatever your friends suggest you give an ear to … that becomes your record collection.

In 1983, I got hooked on a rock band from New Zealand named Dragon. They created pop-rock songs like none I’ve ever heard before, and their classic tracks “Rain,” “April Sun in Cuba,” “Western Girls” and “Get That Jive” captured my imagination.

Trust me, in college radio I played “Rain” on my two-hour radio block more times than most people would have played any other song. Drove everybody in college nuts with my affinity for this group. Didn’t care. That’s just me.

I later interviewed bandmembers Todd Hunter and Alan Mansfield of Dragon for a Goldmine magazine article; at the time, lead singer Marc Hunter was fighting a very aggressive throat cancer that would later take his life. 44. Way too young. Not fair.

The band took some time off, then regrouped with new lead singer Marc Williams. Dragon continued touring and performing, mixing new releases with a collection of re-recorded “Greatest Hits” and “Sounds of the Generation” tours.

And just recently, I found out through Dragon’s Facebook page that the band has a new LP on its way. The album, entitled Life Is a Beautiful Mess, should be available very soon. Dragon did, however, release one track from the new LP, a ballad called “Leningrad.”

Video is below.

I’m kinda curious where this new album will go. But then again, I’ve always enjoyed whatever Dragon has crafted through the past forty years – from artrok to pop to dance to ballads. So let’s see where the journey continues for the band.